McCoy shows off arm at pro day

AUSTIN — Of all the reactions to Colt McCoy’s workout at Texas’ pro timing day, one stood out.

“It made me sick about the national championship game,” UT coach Mack Brown said. “I could see him throwing that way for the last three quarters.”

McCoy was robbed of that opportunity when he pinched a nerve in his right shoulder early in the Longhorns’ loss to Alabama on Jan. 7. But Wednesday in his first public throwing session since that day, McCoy showed not only what might have been, but what might come to be.

Showing no signs of the injury that kept him from throwing at 100 percent until the last three weeks, McCoy made 46 throws under the watchful eyes of a throng of NFL scouts and coaches. All were caught by former UT receivers Jordan Shipley, Nate Jones, Quan Cosby and Brian Carter, although two deep balls drifted just out of bounds.

McCoy, his former coaches and the scouts who watched him all said they were pleased by the performance. McCoy didn’t run, lift weights or jump like many of the other UT prospects, but he did go through a wide assortment of routes with his receivers, including 10 passes of 20 yards or more.

“I kind of put it all together,” McCoy said. “I felt like I made every throw.”

Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy, who attended Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford’s workout in Norman on Monday, said McCoy “answered every question” about his health. And even though Bradford threw more passes — he reportedly made more than 60 throws — McCarthy said he learned more from watching McCoy.

“I liked this workout better,” McCarthy said. “I thought Colt was challenged more with his types of throws.”

Although McCoy’s 6-foot-1 frame and arm strength don’t blow scouts away, McCoy is considered a lock to be taken in the first two rounds of next month’s NFL draft. He won more games (45) than any starting quarterback in major college football history, and he completed more than 70 percent of his passes in each of the last two seasons.

Cosby, who played for Cincinnati last season, said McCoy’s velocity isn’t drastically lower than strong-armed Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, and said both do a good job of “putting it where it needs to be.” Former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt said he was impressed with McCoy’s workout, saying that even though Bradford looks better at first glance, he doesn’t see much difference between the two Big 12 buddies.

Brandt said Bradford is the golfer who can hit the ball 300 yards off the tee compared to McCoy’s 250, “but at the end of the day, they’re all tied.”

McCoy, who rehabilitated his injury in Irvine, Calif., until returning to Austin less than two weeks ago, said he has private workouts set up with at least six teams, including the St. Louis Rams. The Rams reportedly are considering using the No. 1 overall pick on a defensive tackle — either Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh or OU’s Gerald McCoy — and looking at taking a quarterback with the first pick of the second round.

But McCoy said he’s not concerning himself with trying to figure out where he’s headed.

“I feel like I’m the best quarterback in this draft,” McCoy said. “Put me on the field with anybody.”